The Los Angeles Angels remain in a state of flux with the potential sale of the franchise heading into the offseason, but commissioner Rob Manfred gave some insight into how things are going on that front.
General manager Perry Minasian has continued to operate as normal in this pivotal time for the Angels, with superstar Shohei Ohtani’s future on the table and a number of other key decisions still to be made.
The disappointing season was capped off with the news of owner Arte Moreno exploring options to find a buyer, and Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times reported that Manfred said Major League Baseball is doing its part to make it happen:
Manfred said the Angels sale process is “ongoing,” with the league working to conduct background checks of potential bidders before releasing any financial information to them. He declined to offer a timetable for the conclusion of a sale.
“Probably too early to guess as to whether it will be done by opening day,” he said. “I think it is a really appealing franchise. I think there will be multiple bidders. When there are multiple bidders, it’s always more complicated.”
Negotiations for the Angels could push the asking price for a record number, but it’s not out of the ordinary for a major sports franchise to push $3 billion like others have reported.
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong among potential buyers of Angels
The first person to be reportedly interested in purchasing the Angels is L.A. Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. This is not Soon-Shiong’s first foray into MLB ownership. In 2012, Soon-Shiong partnered with Steve Cohen in an attempt to buy the L.A. Dodgers. Their bid ultimately failed and Cohen wound up purchasing the New York Mets.
Soon-Shiong is also a part owner of the L.A. Lakers in the NBA and has clearly spent time attempting to add an MLB team to his portfolio.
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